BULLPEN PROVING ITSELF ONCE AGAIN RELIEF EFFORT HELPS DODGERS PULL AWAY DODGERS 8, ARIZONA 4.

Byline: Tony Jackson Staff Writer

PHOENIX - There have been times over the past five months when Paul DePodesta had to feel a little like some of those conventioneers who invaded midtown Manhattan this week. The Dodgers general manager has been ridiculed, harassed, maligned, ripped and generally picked apart - not so much directly as on sports-talk radio.

DePodesta's crime, of course, was trading away the second-most valuable piece of the Dodgers bullpen, for which he received what he thought was a frontline starting pitcher, but one who quickly went down with an injury and hasn't been heard from since.

But by the end of Thursday night's game, an 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in front of 33,224 at Bank One Ballpark, it was becoming increasingly clear that DePodesta's alleged gutting of the bullpen had been greatly exaggerated.

Starter Odalis Perez left the game after five innings with tightness in the back of his left shoulder. The good news is that club officials don't think there is anything seriously wrong with Perez. The even better news is that the bullpen came through yet again, further bolstering the case that Guillermo Mota hasn't been terribly missed.

``Mota's not here,'' reliever Giovanni Carrara said. ``He's a good friend, and I love him to death. But he's gone, and we have moved on. The rest of us needed to step in and do our jobs.''

And, to a remarkable extent, they have.

With the game tied 3-3, Carrara came on to start the sixth and posted a scoreless inning. He left for a pinch hitter in the seventh, but rookie Yhency Brazoban followed with two more innings that were marred only by a meaningless home run from Scott Hairston after the Dodgers had surged to a 7-3 lead, giving Brazoban his first major-league victory.

Mota was traded to Florida on July 30. Since July 31, the trio of Carrara, Brazoban and Duaner Sanchez have made a combined 40 appearances, going 4-1 with two saves, 47 strikeouts and a 1.67 ERA. More importantly, the Dodgers have gone 18-13 during that stretch and almost doubled their lead in the National League West.

With the win, the Dodgers (78-55) moved 6 1/2 in front of second-place San Francisco and seven ahead of third-place San Diego. The Dodgers led by just 3 1/2 when Mota was dealt along with Paul Lo Duca and Juan Encarnacion for Hee Seop Choi and Brad Penny, who went down in the first inning of his second start for the Dodgers with biceps tendinitis.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers appear to have found someone to replace Mota as Eric Gagne's primary setup man, although manager Jim Tracy still isn't willing to officially award the job to Brazoban.

``We're beginning to see more and more of Yhency Brazoban, and there is a heck of a lot to like,'' Tracy said. ``Is he a guy we like to see in the eighth inning? Sure, depending on the circumstances. But you could also see Carrara in that situation. We can mix and match there. I'm not going to pin that down to Yhency Brazoban. I said the same thing about Eric Gagne a few years ago when I was constantly being asked if he was the (closer).

``I will continue to use the bullpen in whatever way makes the most sense depending to the situation, the circumstances of the game and what hitter is involved in a specific situation.''

Still, Brazoban (1-0) is the guy who seems to always pop up in the eighth inning with the game on the line. It is an unusual role for a pitcher so young (24) and inexperienced (14 major-league appearances). So far, though, Brazoban has been more than up to the task with a 1.06 ERA and a 17-3 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.

The Dodgers broke the tie with a four-run eighth, aided by two critical errors committed by second baseman Scott Hairston and shortstop Jerry Gil behind Diamondbacks reliever Shane Nance (1-1). Gagne recorded the final two outs for his 37th save.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Dodgers shortstop Cesar Izturis celebrates after scoring the tying run in the eighth inning.

Matt York/Associated Press

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